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Why is Maltese considered a Semitic language?
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Semitic languages
Distribution of the Semitic languages.
Maltese is classified as a Semitic language because it evolved directly from a dialect of Arabic. Specifically, it is a member of the Southern Central group and shares close linguistic ties with western Arabic dialects found in Algeria and Tunisia.1
While the language was significantly influenced by Sicilian and Italian throughout its history, its fundamental grammatical and lexical roots remain Semitic. It is unique among Semitic languages for being the only one officially written using the Latin alphabet.12